The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (In Annuntiatione Beatæ Mariæ Virginis) is among the most sublime mysteries in all hagiography, for it marks the very moment of the Incarnation—the eternal Word taking flesh in the womb of the Virgin.
Let us contemplate it in the spirit of the Fathers and the liturgy.
✧ The Sacred Narrative (Luke 1:26–38)
In the sixth month, the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The Virgin’s name was Mary.
Gabriel salutes her:
“Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus.”
(“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”)
This greeting is no mere courtesy—it reveals her unique fullness of grace, bestowed from her Immaculate Conception.
Mary, in humility, is troubled—not by fear, but by the depth of the mystery.
Gabriel continues:
“Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium… et vocabitur Filius Altissimi.”
(“Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son… and He shall be called the Son of the Most High.”)
Mary asks not in doubt, but in wonder:
“Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco?”
(“How shall this be done, because I know not man?”)
Gabriel reveals the divine operation:
“Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te…”
(“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee…”)
And then—the moment upon which all creation seems to wait:
“Ecce ancilla Domini; fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.”
(“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.”)
At that instant, the Word was made flesh.
✧ Patristic Reflection
The Fathers see in Mary the New Eve:
- St. Irenaeus teaches that as Eve, still a virgin, brought death by disobedience, so Mary, also a Virgin, brings life through obedience.
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux beautifully imagines all heaven awaiting her consent—Adam, the prophets, and the angels suspended in hope until she speaks her fiat.
“The price of our salvation is offered to thee. We shall be set free at once if thou consentest.” (St. Bernard)
✧ Liturgical Significance
The feast (March 25) is exactly nine months before Christmas, signifying the true humanity of Christ from the first instant of His conception.
In the traditional Roman liturgy, the Annunciation is a feast of the highest rank, often transferring even Lenten observance to honor the mystery of the Incarnation.
✧ Spiritual Fruits
The Annunciation teaches:
- Perfect humility — Mary calls herself ancilla (handmaid)
- Perfect obedience — she consents without hesitation
- Perfect faith — she believes what surpasses all human understanding
✧ A Short Meditation
Consider placing yourself in Nazareth at that moment. The silence, the simplicity, the hidden grandeur. No earthly splendor—yet here begins the redemption of the world.
Ask yourself:
- Do I receive God’s will with such readiness?
- Do I trust even when I do not fully understand?
✧ Prayer
O Blessed Virgin Mary,
who by thy humble fiat didst bring forth the Savior of the world,
obtain for us the grace to surrender wholly to the will of God.Through thy intercession, may Christ be formed in our souls,
as He was in thy most pure womb.Amen.